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Vote.

I’ve been hearing truly depressing things about people not voting because they’re not sure they’ll make the right choice, or that the election does not matter to them, or that their vote doesn’t count.

This is going to be a very close presidential election. There are countless ballot initiatives and local offices on your ballot.

Any choice you make if you have read the ballot and understand the basic arguments, is right.

We all make mistakes, we all choose based on incomplete information. But the only mistake is not voting.

The results of the election will matter to every single American. This election determines how your local taxes are spent, who runs your water board and transit board and town. And this election will determine what the federal government will try to do for the next 2 years. And who will appoint Supreme Court justices.

Every vote counts. The 2000 election was won (maybe) by just over 500 votes. Five hundred votes. Changed the course of history forever.

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10 thoughts on “Vote.”

YES, YES, YES…the president is not all powerful! The House and Senate do the majority of the scut work that creates the change for you. When you get into local politics such as city council and judicial appointments, you can see that change even more closely. Create the change you want. It’s okay if it takes a few rounds to get there. Think women’s voting, gay rights, etc.

Just imagine where we would be if our forefathers had given in to England’s control. It starts with one voice…it really does…make yours count.

Women haven’t even been able to vote in this country for 100 years yet. Any women who thinks that politcs has nothing to do with her is just wrong. Yeah, I want everyone to vote, but I especially want women to vote. I want women to exercise their rights just as much as men do. Use your power! Be a goddess! Vote!

Yes! Women fought for your right to vote, your daughters’ rights to vote. Go say what you feel the government needs to do. Vote your opinion about science and birth control and civil rights and education. Vote!

No matter who wins or which laws pass, your voice is counted. They look, when they figure who is for and who is against. Only 100 people against them? They go full-steam ahead. A full 10,000,000 against them? They pause because they know how real voices have spoken.

I wholeheartedly second your endorsement of civic involvement. But with respect, I would add that people should vote responsibly. By that I mean vote, by all means vote, but don’t just randomly punch buttons (or chads or whatever) to say you voted. I vote because I care. I take at least a little time to consider my choices. Sometimes a particular issue or candidate means a great deal to me. You’re right, every vote does count, so I don’t want my vote canceled out by somebody who threw away their vote on a lark. If there’s an issue I can’t make up my mind about, or a contest I simply don’t care about, I’ll skip over it and move on to the items on the ballot that matter to me.

I worry because I’ve heard people saying they need to understand every nuance of every issue. I believe reading critically both sides of the argument, and perhaps finding out who supports each side is sufficient, if not ideal.

But I agree with you wholehartedly that blindly voting, or voting “no” on everything because you’re mad, or picking based just on what your parents or neighbors say is ridiculous. And worse than not voting. I’d rather the people with no knowledge at all of the issue not vote. But my preference is that everyone in this country have a basic knowledge of what their government does and whether they agree or not.

You know it’s kind of amazing to think about the apathy that many women have toward voting nowadays when just 100 years ago we couldn’t vote at all. Makes you realize how much we take for granted when we don’t have to fight for it.

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